40 PROFESSIONAL BOATBUILDERDETAILS: From the ShowsFor my old eyes, a clear windshield with no daytime glare
or nighttime instrument re ections is ever more essential.
Give me powerful windshield-wiper motors that swing big
blades, and lots of windshield-washer squirter jets, and I’ll
be about as happy with the view from the helm as I can get
in dark or sloppy conditions.- e view forward through this tall windshield is likely
compromised by the height of the starboard-side dashboard,
visible through it. Despite this aw, why not use bigger wind-
shield wiper blades? is wiper setup barely clears half of
each windshield panel. Big wiper blades require heavy-duty
motors, so these might need an upgrade. I also wonder about
the two wiper motors nearest to the compass (red arrow). e
magnets in wiper motors are notorious for causing compass
deviation, even when the motors are turned o (see the side-
bar). And what’s with that complex strip of weather curtain
between the top of the windshield and the bottom of the top
panel? Why not eliminate the possibility of leaking zippers by
making a taller windshield sealed directly to the underside of
the top? Or perhaps add a molded drop panel to the top to
mate it to the windshield. - is small boat has a well-thought-out helm station
and windshield. e dashboard itself is low and doesn’t
block the view forward. e windshield panes are pitched
slightly forward so the instruments will not re ect onto
them at night. e big wiper blades are operated by panto-
graph arms that sweep a larger area of the panes than wipers
that just swing the blades through an arc. e wiper motors’
shuto points are set so the blades park completely out of
the way right next to the vertical structural supports, not
in the middle of the panes. Hidden under the overhang are
washer- uid nozzles for each pane of the windshield. - Large pantographing wiper blades and multiple
washer- uid nozzles mounted on each wiper arm make this
one of the nicest setups I saw. I’ll bet that with a bit of adjust-
ment, the port and starboard wiper mechanisms could be
tuned so the blades would stop and rest closer to the edges
of the outboard panes. - Looking at radar-aided visibility, I suspect that this
unit will not be very useful even at rest, masked as it is by
the large horizontal solar panel mounted ahead of it. Once
running bow-up at speed, it seems likely that the radar’s
performance will be further compro-
mised. Which will be more important
in dense fog or at night—solar bat-
tery charging or reliable radar? is
boat brand had me shaking my head
as in the next slip was another boat
from the same builder with what
looked like the same foundation for
the radar and satphone antennas,
but they were installed unobstructed
at the front of the cabintop.
15.16.14.Helm Station Visibility
17.Pfund-Details171-ADFinalr.indd 40 1/3/18 10:37 AM